Kaka’s chai at tapri is one of the things that the gang of boys in my team look forward to post-lunch in our office! After our desi chinese lunch at the canteen, it was time for that drink that keeps us awake for the rest of the afternoon. Today however, only Susheel was giving me company, as the rest were either absent or out already.Our elevator discussions usually revolve somewhere between nonsensical boy talks and brainless imaginations! I guess it wasn’t too different today either… till after the second floor (we call it the hallowed floor) had passed, at least!A sudden jerk… And a silent second later, darkness engulfed us in that little 6x6ft metallic structure. “Oh shucks!” was our first reaction. We stood still for about 10 seconds, when the lights came back revealing a nervous, yet relieved smile on our faces!

Not for long did that relief last, as we looked at the buttons and on top of them blinked a red light, which read, ‘Overload’! Overload? Susheel and me? Surely, we’ve eaten too much of that chinese! Or maybe my paunch is making its presence felt again! It surely wasn’t funny cause’ the elevator wasn’t showing signs of any movement. We pressed the ‘0’ button again. We would have been happy with a jerk now. None!I pressed the ‘Alarm’ and waited for a response. We waited to pick any sound. I pressed it again. And we waited again. Silence. Susheel was smiling. I guess so was I, but it was a nervous one! “Should I bang the door?” I asked Sush. “No need. They might be on their way!” Silence outside made me feel it wasn’t!I pressed the alarm once again – this time for a longer time, followed by a bang bang! We weren’t sure anybody was listening cause’ we surely couldn’t hear a soul. And the door being an automatic one, there was no point in us trying to do any stunts to make it obey us, regardless of what that ‘Overload’ signal revealed!I wasn’t sure how long this would last because I’m someone who finds breathing tough in closed conditions. I conveyed that to Susheel, albeit with that nervous smile still on. We removed our cellphones and lost hopes on that count when we saw Sush’s Reliance connection showing no network!A good 4-5 minutes had passed and I guess no one knew we were stuck. Neither did we about which floor we were on! I started bang bang again along with the pressing of that alarm button that looked and sounded useless.Finally, some human voice outside, “Coming. Khol raha hoon!” followed by some noises of metal being slammed at. A deep sigh… A photograph to capture this one of a kind experience… And we finally felt some movement. The door opened and two pairs of relieved legs walked out to some inquisitive eyes! We could just smile and blabber whatever came out from our tongue.Not too sure whether those eyes saw us as heroes or victims, but Susheel and I definitely got our few minutes of attention and a story to tell our friends who would have been our co-victims/heroes had it happened a day early or late!All glory to my JESUS! No breathing issues, but just a nice little story to blog about (which possibly took you longer, to read than my time inside the elevator)!